Stoke City F.C. grounds to be renamed Bet365 Stadium

Stoke City F.C. announced that, as of the 2016/2017 season, its stadium will be known as Bet365 Stadium. The premier league club is owned by Peter Coates and his family, who also own Bet365, a popular online gambling company.

Bet365 entered a deal with Premier league soccer club Stoke City F.C. on the rebranding of their stadium.

Once the 2016/2017 season starts, the premier league’s stadium, formerly known as Britannia Stadium, will be renamed the Bet365 Stadium.

This agreement forms part of a six-year sponsorship deal. The deal also includes the shirt sponsorship of the team’s jersey. The announcement is of little surprise to those familiar with the football club.

Stoke City F.C. is owned by local businessman Peter Coates and his family, as is the betting company Bet365, which offers sports betting alongside a comprehensive online casino offering.

“There’s no doubt Bet365 has benefited enormously from the global exposure our shirt sponsorship agreement with the club has given us. This felt like a natural fit, especially as Stoke-on-Trent is home to Bet365,” commented John Coates, vice chairman at Stoke City F.C. and CEO of Bet365.

The Britannia Stadium was built in 1997 and named after the co-operative bank, who sponsored the football club in past seasons. Plans are in place to expand the stadium by 1.800 seats, increasing the stadium’s capacity to 30.000.

The last two seasons saw Stoke City finish ninth in the league, their highest position since 1975.